Tag Archive: equestrian news

Mare power

New studies into the social life of wild horses (pictured above and below) have found out that mares are not as subordinate to stallions as it was initially thought. They can gang up to refuse stallions they don’t like or seek out those they do like. Horse behaviour can also be surprisingly similar to human behaviour, with complex relationships, power struggles and jostling for position.

Kaley Cuoco turns to horses after her marriage ends

A day after announcing her divorce from husband Ryan Sweeting, Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco took part in a showjumping competition at La Cañada Flintridge, in California. Cuoco (pictured below at another competition) also bought herself a new horse, Zaza, whom she proudly showed off on Instagram.

Treve aims for Arc hat trick

Golden Horn and Treve (pictured below with trainer Christiane Head-Maarek) will battle it out at the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris next Sunday, October 4.Treve, who has already won two Arcs, remains the hot favourite and could be the first horse to win the prestigious race for a third time but Golden Horn looks set to give her a run for her money.

Britain ends in second place at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup

The British quartet of Ben Maher and Diva II, Jessica Mendoza and Spirit T, Laura Renwick and Bintang II and Joe Clee with Utamaro D’Ecaussines (pictured below) went tantalisingly close to finishing joint first in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup showjumping final in Barcelona but a clear round by the last rider to go in the arena, Gregory Wathelet, gave victory to Belgium. Wathelet—the only competitor to jump a double clear in the final—also landed the €200,000 prize.

Charlotte Dujardin is Britain’s national champion

Having claimed the World, Olympic and European titles, Charlotte Dujardin also took the national champion crown at the LeMieux National Dressage Championships
onship. She and Barolo took the grand prix title on Saturday with a score of 72.90% and went on to win the freestyle on Sunday with 76.8%—a remarkable feat considering this was Barolo’s first-ever freestyle.

Clark Montgomery wins Blenheim Horse Trials

Clark Montgomery rode to victory at Blenheim Horse Trials with a classy performance that saw him finish on his dressage score.

Petition for safer riding on the roads

Debbie Smith, a rider from Penzance, has launched a petition to make it a legal requirement for motorists to pass horses wide and slow and respond to hand signals. The petition currently has more than 13,000 supporters and needs just 1,677 more to reach the target of 15,000.

Scott Brash lands the Rolex Grand Slam

Scott Brash made history when he won the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping at Spruce Meadows, in Canada, on September 13. Having already bagged the Grand Prix at Geneva and Aachen, the Scottish rider also won the Calgary Grand Prix and secured the Rolex Grand Slam Trophy and €1 million prize —the first rider ever to do so. “It is absolutely unbelievable,” he said. “For me, the dream of a lifetime has come true.”

The Black Horse

Equestrian sculpture is all the rage lately. After the Kelpies in Scotland and the The Rising Tide, an installation of four horses and riders by Jason deCaires Taylor set on the Thames’ South Bank, which is only visible at low tide,
another equestrian sculpture takes centre stage this week. The Black Horse, by Mark Wallinger, is one of the centrepieces of Beyond Limits: The Landscape Of British Sculpture 1950-2015, a selling exhibition set in the grounds of Chatsworth House and features more 30 works of art from artists such as Barbara Hepworth, Anthony Caro, Antony Gormley, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst.

Farewell, Brown Panther

It’s all in the fetlocks

Horses were bedecked in patriotic decorations at a parade held in Sacramento, California, to honour Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, the three Americans who thwarted a terrorist attack on a train in France earlier in the summer.

A race with a difference

Racing hardly get more spectacular than at the Laytown races in Meath, Ireland. The event, which was first held in 1868 is one of the very few races in the world that are run on a beach under official rules.

Give horses a go this September

The British Equestrian Federation is launching its annual This Girl Can Ride campaign, which encourages women to take up or return to riding. The campaign starts with a national ‘Give Horses a Go’ day on Sunday 13th September when women can enjoy a free riding session at one of more than 40 approved riding stables across the country. A list of participating venues is available on www.hoofride.co.uk.

Last two showjumping teams qualify for Rio

Japan and Australia (whose Edwina Tops-Alexander is pictured below aboard Lintea Tequila) have claimed the last two tickets for the Rio Olympics at the Group G FEI qualifier that took place in Hagen, Germany, on Tuesday, August 25. The full list of teams now qualified for Jumping at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is: Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and USA.

Surface standards for showjumping

The FEI has set out to develop performance standards for showjumping surfaces following a meeting among 36 equestrian, veterinary and footing specialists from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and United States. Their ultimate aim is to provide consistent surfaces for all the major showjumping events from 2016.

Holland wins driving gold

The Netherlands dominated the FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand. On Thursday, four-time world champion IJsbrand Chardon (pictured below) and 2013 European champion Theo Timmerman, who are both Dutch, took first and second place in the dressage test, with Spain’s Juan Antonio Real Garcia in third and another Dutch driver, Koos de Ronde, in fourth. On Friday, Belgium’s Felix Marie Brasseur was first in the cones, followed by Hungary’s József Dobrovitz in second and Chardon in third. A third place for de Ronde and a fifth for Chardon in the marathon clinched the team-gold medal for Holland, but a great marathon performance by Germany’s Michael Brauchle meant he pipped Chardon by a minuscule 0.21 seconds in the individual standings to become the new European champion.

Europe’s best vaulters do battle in Aachen

Hot favourites Jasmin Lindner and Lukas Wacha (pictured below), who hail from Austria, landed the pas-de-deux gold medal at the FEI European Vaulting Championships in Aachen, which started on Thursday, August 20. Germany’s Jannis Drewell bagged the male freestyle gold, while Switzerland’s Simona Jäiser took the female title and Team RSV Neuss-Grimlinghausen won gold for Germany in the squad final.

Horse put down after assault in Scotland

A 23-year-old mare was stabbed in the chest and horrifically assaulted near New Pitsligo in Aberdeenshire, on the night between August 16 and 17. The pony had to be put to sleep because of her injuries. Her owner, Zoe Wright, is urging people to be vigilant and check their horses for cuts, while Police Scotland have asked local residents to report any suspicious activity they may have spotted in the area.

Shock win at York

No Blair for Flora Harris and Bayano

A disappointing performance at Aachen cost Flora Harris and Bayano their place in the team that will represent Great Britain at the FEI European Eventing Championships at Blair Castle. The British Eventing senior selectors have decided to replace the combination with Tom Jackson and Waltham Fiddlers Find, following Bayano’s “recent lack of form” in Aachen. In another change, Izzy Taylor will now ride KBIS Briarlands Matilda at Blair because Allercombe Ellie was found to be lame in Aachen.